Supreme Court

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.17.19

* Big verdicts -- like the $8B Johnson & Johnson award -- are forcing in-house counsel to reconsider how they approach litigation and settlement. Apparently rethinking "committing torts" isn't on the table. [Corporate Counsel] * Investigation suggests an "endemic" culture of sexual harassment and bullying at Jones Day's London office. Try with all your might to put on a surprised face. [American Lawyer] * Bill seeks to give Supreme Court justices international protection. It's all coming together for the Marshal of the Supreme Court power grab. [National Law Journal] * Panama Papers principals sue to stop Netflix movie based on their exploits. [Hollywood Reporter] * New York removes the loophole that would have ended state criminal prosecutions based on federal pardons. [NBC News] * Exxon will face a bench trial on claims that it defrauded the public over the risks of climate change. [Law360] * Mayer Brown partner tells Chambers to add more ranked women or to leave him off their list. [Legal Cheek]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.14.19

* Remember how EU ambassador Gordon Sondland was forbidden to testify before Congress? And how he texted the Ukrainian ambassador that the president wanted "no quid pro quo’s of any kind"? He's about to testify that language was dictacted by Trump himself. Hmm... [Washington Post] * Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney who Trump is attempting to distance himself from, is reportedly being investigated by federal prosecutors over his ties to the removal of former Ukranian ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch and whether he violated lobbying laws in the process. [New York Times] * After much negative publicity and a student protest, Louis Lehot, the DLA Piper partner who was accused of sexual assault by a fellow partner, was kicked to the curb by the firm. [American Lawyer] * Art Lien, who brings the Supreme Court to life for the rest of us, is one of the last courtroom sketch artists in the nation. The justices are still against cameras in the highest courtroom in the land, but even Lien thinks his days may be numbered. [Quartz] * In case you missed it, the jury in the Dan Markel murder trial convicted Sigfredo Garcia of first degree murder but declared a mistrial for his co-defendant, Katherine Magbanua. Garcia faces the death penalty, and Magbanua will remain jailed until her case is retried. [Tallahassee Democrat] * Sign up here if you’d like to take part in a conversation between best-selling author John Grisham and former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara (S.D.N.Y.) this Wednesday. I’ll be there to cover the event for Above the Law, and I hope to see you there. [TimesTalks]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.08.19

* The guy currently parading as the unconfirmed Homeland Security chief got shouted off stage at Georgetown Law. Prepare for the media consternation that students would treat a guy who daily condones illegal detentions with such rudeness. [New York Times] * Bitcoin's not a sound investment? Wha?!? [Law360] * Companies back LGBTQ rights in amicus brief in a bid to demonstrate that this really isn't a pro-business Court. [National Law Journal] * The legal industry is in flux, and some big investors are looking to get in on it. [Forbes] * Minority partners often relegated to non-equity tier. [American Lawyer] * Barnes & Noble doesn't have to produce documents about its own CEO's ouster. [Corporate Counsel] * Prime Minister's camp calls out head of Supreme Court for using "injudicious" language when she used a quote from... the Prime Minister. [Legal Cheek]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.07.19

* It's back to work for the justices of the Supreme Court as the October Term 2019 gets started today, with major cases on LGBTQ rights, immigration, abortion, guns, and religion scheduled to be heard over the course of this year. Here's a good summary of five cases to watch. [New York Times] * Are appellate advocates ready for a kinder, gentler experience before the Supreme Court? They’ll now receive two minutes of uninterrupted time at the beginning of oral arguments. This is a “dramatic change” of pace for the high court. [National Law Journal] * According to Mark Zaid, the lawyer for whistleblower #1, there are now two whistleblowers on President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine, and the second one reportedly has firsthand knowledge of some of the allegations detailed in the original complaint. [ABC News] * "All of you know your Constitution. The way that impeachment stops is a Senate majority with me as majority leader.“ Sen. Mitch McConnell is promising to end the impeachment proceedings against Trump in his latest campaign ads. [Louisville Courier Journal] * Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes hasn’t paid her lawyers in more than a year, and now they’ve asked a judge to let them off her case. “It is unfair and unreasonable to require Cooley to continue representing Ms. Holmes in this action,” her disgruntled attorneys wrote in their motion. [Mercury News] * “[If] I cannot keep my oath of office, I’d rather die than live without honor.” A judge in Thailand shot himself in court in an apparent attempt to take his own life after acquitting men of murder charges whom he’d reportedly been pressured to convict. [The Guardian]

By Staci Zaretsky